Bee Balm
Bee balm (Monarda) is a fragrant mint-family herb traditionally used as a tea for throat comfort and digestion. It’s aromatic and often compared to a mild oregano-mint blend. Bee balm is a great ‘homestead tea’ herb: flavorful, comforting, and generally gentle when used as a tea.
Key Benefits
- Soothing tea for throat comfort (traditional use)
- Supports digestion and eases gas/bloating (aromatic carminative)
- Provides mild antimicrobial aromatic compounds (supportive)
- Can be used as a steam inhale for congestion comfort (supportive)
Common Issues It May Help With
- Sore throat (supportive)
- Indigestion
- Gas
- Seasonal congestion comfort (supportive)
How To Use (Simple)
- Tea: steep 1–2 tsp dried herb for 10 minutes. Steam: add a strong tea to a bowl and inhale steam carefully (avoid burns). Often blended with honey, lemon, or chamomile.
Taste / Notes
Aromatic, minty, slightly oregano-like; warm and herbal.
Evidence Level
Traditional use is strong; modern clinical evidence is limited. Best framed as supportive comfort.
Cautions
Generally well tolerated. If you have reflux and mint-family herbs trigger symptoms, start with a weak tea. Avoid concentrated essential oil ingestion.
Interactions
No major drug interactions at typical tea levels If on sedatives, steam inhalation is fine; tea is typically mild If you are highly sensitive to mint-family herbs, monitor reflux symptoms
Debug: Loaded Herb Fields (verification)
{
"slug": "bee-balm",
"title": "Bee Balm",
"latinName": "Monarda didyma (and related Monarda spp.)",
"category": "herb",
"tagsCount": 5,
"summaryLen": 280,
"benefitsBullets": 4,
"issuesItTreats": 4,
"howToUse": 1,
"hasTaste": true,
"hasEvidence": true,
"hasCautions": true,
"hasInteractions": true
}